The Library of Shadows

In the old Winslow house there is a room overlooking the gardens and the river. In this old and moldering parlor countless memorable events had occurred... and some of them still lingered.

Billy Barrows sat on the floor in the middle of the room, lightly strumming his guitar. In front of him, a Zippo lighter sat in front of a mirror. Behind him was a large bay window overlooking a sloping lawn running down to a broad river, overhung with a threatening, stormy sky. From the northern door, Bob, an escaped convict, stealthily approached. In the north-east door, Victoria, a young college student carrying video-recording equipment and cameras stood. Agent Washburne of the FBI Paranormal division stepped in through the south-east door, and silhouetted in the southern doorway was Warden Lawson.

As Lawson and Washburne stepped into the room with guns raised, calling out for Bob to surrender himself. As Lawson stepped into the room the voice of young girl also cried out, "Noooooo!" Bob dashed across the short intervening space, and grabbed Victoria, holding her as a shield against the agents. A few tense moments passed as the agents shouted at Bob, while Victoria and Billy shouted for everyone to calm down. Lawson advanced on Bob, Billy tried to get everyone to calm down. Washburne prodded the pile of clothing and refuse that continued to cry and wail piteously "Noo! Daddy! Daddy, no!" only to find a child's toy parrot, apparently repeating the last things that it heard. As Lawson continued to threaten Bob with a gun, Billy rushed over and put himself in front of both Victoria and Bob. Despite their claims to be law enforcement and FBI, neither Lawson nor Washburne had yet shown a badge - merely come in brandishing guns. As Washburne stands up with the toy parrot, Bob, Billy, and Victoria see a spectral little girl through the bay window, clutching a toy parrot doll... she lifts her hand to wave and they notice that she's missing at least a couple of fingers. The girl then rapidly vanishes - retreating away from the window as if she is dragged or carried off by something unseen. Billy charges the window, kicking out a pane, screaming and staring off into the night, calling for the little girl. Lawson sees the confusion as his opportunity and darts forward attempting to grab Bob. Bob locks Lawson's arm, Washburne attempts to pull Victoria away, but she darts off to one side attempting to capture everything on tape. Lawson shoots Bob in the leg, blood sprays out splattering across Lawson's arm, chest, and face. His eyes roll back into his head so that only pale white orbs glare out. Another crash of glass is heard and a body appears in the middle of the room. The mirror has been shattered, the Zippo knocked over and extinguished. The newcomer is in tattered and torn clothing, covered in blood. The smell of blood and gunpowder permeates the room. Lawson, possessed by some unknown entity, fires off a shot at Bob's outstretched hand while Washburne attempts to talk Bob into putting on a pair of handcuffs and giving up. Billy's calling out for someone to help him with the wounded guy. The wounded guy shouts out, "Its here!" and attempts to scramble away from the corner of the room where the cops and convict are struggling. When Billy attempts to help him up, the stranger cries out, shoving Billy away, and diving for the window. Billy lands with his shirt torn open and blood blossoming across the fabric. Washburne, seeing Bob cuffed, turns towards the sound of the shouts; Lawson spins and fires off a shot into the back of the stranger, propelling the body out of the shattered window. While everyone is watching the window, pale white hands and arms reach out and pull Bob away. Victoria sees this and cries out that the prisoner is escaping. Washburne turns, Lawson seemingly wakes up, and Billy finally freaks out and runs. Washburne notices that Bob's blood-trail ends at a razor-sharp line in the hallway, but when he hears the sound of Billy's truck starting up out in the yard he dashes across the room and attempts to dive out of the broken window. However, he is suddenly surprised by what appears to be a small group of dogs sniffing around under the window. Cue cacophony of barking, howling, yelping, growling and some punctuated gun-shots. Washburne gets bitten and scratched up pretty badly. Lawson and Victoria go to investigate some of the remainder of the house - especially where Bob could have gone. Directly above where his blood-trail ended was a pair of handcuffs embedded in the ceiling - not as if they had been thrown upwards with force, but as if there plastered into the ceiling when it was last repaired.

EpilogueEveryone leaves the house, takes some time to rest up.

Bob got pulled into the spirit-world by a werewolf who recognized that Bob's long standing problems with anger and violence are systematic of a powerful legacy.

Billy sweats through three days and nights of intense visions, strange dreams, and horrific nightmares.

Paul Washburne spends a week hiding out in a hotel room, snapping at people when dealing with them in person, and generally avoiding the world

William Lawson does a little investigating. Eventually pulls Billy Barrows in for some questioning and while pushing him for details triggers a violent episode. Billy bites Lawson and then leaves him in his office. Lawson sweats and writhes, passing out. Sometime later he comes to in his office.

Victoria delves into the history of the Winslow House, discovering that the oldest surviving member of the Winslow family (and one of the last inhabitants of the house) still lives in Savannah. Robert Winslow is now 92 and in a nursing home. The house is in his grandson's name. The grandson lives in Arizona and refuses to sell the house, but does finally agree to rent the place out - as is.